Cooper University Hospital fined $55,000 for safety violations

by By Harold Brubaker, STAFF WRITER, Posted: April 14, 2016

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Cooper University Hospital $55,000 for allowing employees to be exposed to needle-stick injuries and bloodborne pathogen hazards, the agency said Thursday.

OSHA also said the Camden hospital failed to train carpenter-shop employees on the hazards of methylene chloride, a cancer-causing chemical in an adhesive used to fasten laminate to countertops.

Cooper also failed to monitor employees exposed to the chemical, according to OSHA.

The agency opened the investigation in October after it found in a review of Cooper's illness and injury logs for a separate investigation that there was an unusual amount of needle-stick and bloodborne pathogens exposure at Cooper, which had $1 billion in total revenue last year.

Cooper has until May 3 to fix the problems. It also has 15 business days to contest the findings.

The health system said it is "committed to the health and safety of our patients and employees."

"We are taking the report seriously and will actively address these issues," Cooper said.